Shane Whitlock

Winnings:

Records/Stats:

Semifinalist in 1996 Tournament of Champions, UTOC participant

Personal Message

I have the highest two-day finals total of any College Champion (accounting of course for the doubling of clue values in 2001). I am a member of the "Elite 18", those who made it to the third round of the Ultimate Tournament of Champions. Pam Mueller is the only other college champion to make it into this group. In that third UTOC round, I was leading my game going into Final Jeopardy, but I couldn't come up with the correct response, "Who were Tweedledee and Tweedledum?". That allowed Frank Spangenburg to overtake my score and earn a place in the semi-finals. I really don't want that to be the last moment of my Jeopardy! career, and I would like to compete in the Decades Tournament just for a shot at redemption! Also, if I were selected to compete, I would bring with me my ardent supporters: the entire state of Arkansas. I know first hand that Arkansans love cheering on one of their own. My other Jeopardy! appearances generated a lot of excitement and local press thoughout the state, and presumably brought some additional viewers to the local affiliates. I am the only champion in Arkansas eligible for this tournament, and I know I could rally up a lot of support for my appearance.

Records/Stats:

Personal Message

There are so many worthy candidates for a tournament that it is tough to say why someone would pick me over anyone else. I think that my International Tournament win and Elite 18 finish in the UTOC demonstrate that I will always be a competitor. To quote a friend: "You are one of the most intelligent, articulate and knowledgeable persons I have ever met in my life. On the other hand, you are also one of the most arrogant, opinionated and dastardly characters I have ever met in my life. On balance though, I would have a beer with you any day."

Records/Stats:

Personal Message

I was one of the youngest five-time champions (just 25 in 1997) and since then I've learned and experienced so much--I am a much stronger person and contestant nowadays. Oh, and I blew my trip to the 3rd round of the UTOC on a math error; I'd dearly like to redeem that mistake. Of course, I could be a role-model for an under-represented minority on Jeopardy. I am, of course, talking about redheads. Ginger power, baby! Kidding aside, while I don't like to talk too much publicly about my experiences as a trans woman, I'd obviously be greatly honored to have a chance to represent my community, and other LGBT people, on Jeopardy. Plus, I'm funny as all get out, smart as a whip, and really really REALLY want another chance. What's not to love?

Brian Weikle

Winnings:

Records/Stats:

1st runner up in 2003 Tournament of Champions, UTOC participant

Personal Message

During my original run, I became a part of Jeopardy! lore. $52,000 in one show? More total winnings than Frank Spangenberg? Unheard of. I like to think I helped catalyze the astounding run of success the show has seen over the past decade. Without me, would Ken Jennings have aspired to do what he did? Well, of course he would. That's what's great about the show; it inspires people to do something truly remarkable, to achieve something they never thought possible. Now, ten years after my original appearances, I want to get together with the other legends of the show and inspire a new generation of Jeopardy! fans to reach for that impossible dream.

Melizza Zygmunt

Winnings:

$23,599 Season 15 4-time champion

$2,500 Tournament of Champions (1999)

Records/Stats:

4-time champion

Personal Message

I would like to rectify my performance in the Tournament of Champions and vindicate myself. As a stay-at-home mom, I was in the throes of planning my daughter's 4th birthday party and getting ready for Christmas. If the "Evil Queen" piñata, Hannah and I were making, had not taken up so much time, I feel sure I would have prepared more and performed better at TOC! However, her Snow White party was grand and memorable! LYRICS TO VIDEO SONG "CHOOSE MY MOM" - a song parody of Anna Kendrick's "CUPS" She's out to win it all this time around The risks of betting she ignores If my mom is chosen for Jeopardy! Alex, you sure won't believe the final scores! Choose my mom Choose my mom She'll keep the competition strong Jeopardy! you'd be a fool To choose anyone less cool so You know that you should choose my mom She lost the tourney the first time around That's why this time she wants it more Everybody loves a good underdog In our hearts it gives us something to root for.

Life after Jeopardy!: I think my total winnings were $244,100. Since 2000 I've been an instructional designer, developing web-based and classroom training for corporate clients. Currently I'm a Senior Curriculum Developer for OnCourse Learning, where I create courses for the real estate industry.

Life after Jeopardy!: I've been working as the director of therapy at a non-profit child development center serving children with disabilities for the past 11 years.

I have also been busy being a mother to two girls - in addition to my daughter Sydney, with whom I was pregnant when I appeared on the tournament of champions, I recently gave birth to my daughter Esther in December 2012.

Additionally, I've been working towards my travel goal of visiting all 50 states -I just have Hawaii left!

Life after Jeopardy!: My total winnings were $333,849 and a Corvette. Professionally, from 2007-2011, I was a member of the production staff for Africa Challenge, an academically-based TV show featuring university students from eight countries. Now, I am working on a sister project, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) which is not a TV show, but does provide a venue for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to compete in the same fashion. Both experiences have been very rewarding.

Personally, I've been working on my house, doing everything from drywall, to digging out my foundation (by hand), to hardwood flooring and window frames.

Life after Jeopardy!: Every appearance on Jeopardy! really affected my life in a positive way. After my first stint, in 1996, my winnings made me comfortable not returning to the high-pressure world of corporate litigation where I started my law career. Instead, I was able to stay with the federal court, helping make sure that justice was done in the cases I worked on. What a luxury to have the truth as my only client these last 17 years. I am forever grateful to Jeopardy! for that.

I am also grateful that I was able to spend lots of time with my daughter (3 years old when I bragged about her to Alex in 1996 and a 19-year-old pre-med student now) and two sons, now 14 and 9. What a blessing.

I also used my most recent winnings to go back to school to transition into another aspect of public service.

Life after Jeopardy!: My total winnings were $169,400 (including the MSRP of my 2 Camaros.) I've put a large amount of my income into microlending, a Nobel Prize-winning approach to poverty alleviation, via the charity Kiva. I've also traveled extensively around the developing world to see the results, visiting Peru, Nicaragua, Bosnia, Rwanda, India, Lebanon, and lots of other countries.

What I found became my most recent book The International Bank of Bob (http://bank-of-bob.com), published by Bloomsbury, but it can all be summarized by five words spoken to me in Lebanon by a former restaurant owner and father of two who had lost everything in a war that he had nothing to do with. Was he bitter? No, he explained:

"You love more, you win." he said.

Those are the best five words I've ever heard.

Supporters of the book project, calling themselves Friends of Bob Harris* have now lent more than $3.3 million to help finance of small businesses in more than 60 countries. You can find FoBH by poking around http://kiva.org. I'm both proud of and humbled by it all.

*I didn't start FoBH, I've never met the person who did, and I was stupidly opposed to its creation at the outset. I can be quite wrong at times. But most Jeopardy! fans know that. :)

Life after Jeopardy!: In total, I won $179,413 and a hammock. I joined the Google writing team for five great years (and hosted Ken Jennings for a lunchtime chat with Googlers), married a wonderful woman from Cincinnati, and have written thumbnail sketches of over 2000 famous people for my biography reference site, Who2.

Life after Jeopardy!: In total, I won $247,801 and a Corvette. Still teaching Rhetoric and Celtic Languages at UC Berkeley and doing research on St. Patrick. Still appearing (as a Supernumerary) in S.F. Opera and S.F. Ballet.

Life after Jeopardy!: My total winnings were $157,201 and a Volvo. Since my initial appearance, I toured with an Irish dance company, worked on a presidential campaign, was a press secretary on Capitol Hill, went to law school, was a real lawyer briefly, and then went back to graduate school in psychology with an eye toward becoming a law professor. Whew! Additionally, I've tried to balance my academic interests and my passion for dance throughout this time, and have performed in many musicals and dance productions.

Life after Jeopardy!: I have had a major change since my last appearance. I retired from the practice of law after 31 years and am now working at NIH on stem cell research. I plan to apply to Ph.D. programs in biology this fall. If I am accepted, I will receive my degree when I am in my early 60's. Fortunately, I plan to study human aging and longevity!

Life after Jeopardy!: Still watching college sports and getting paid for it, which beats working for a living. I spend the rest of my time with my family as my wife and I try to keep up with our almost nine-year-old son. Life is an amazing adventure!

Information

Vote to help decide who will compete in the battle of the decades

Jeopardy! is bringing back champions from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s to compete in a Battle of the Decades. This multi-level competition will begin airing in February 2014, and we’re asking YOU to help decide who will compete!

Show producers have already selected 14 champions from each decade, but the last spot in each tournament is up to you. Vote now for your Fan Favorite contestants. Or, to meet the 14 who have already been selected, click here.

When can I vote?

There are a total of three weeks of voting, but you have only one week to vote for your favorite contestant from each decade.

To vote on our website, choose your Fan Favorite from the pool of five nominees and click the "Vote Now!" button.

If you are a registered Facebook user, visit Facebook.com/Jeopardy to vote via the Fan Favorites Voting Tab. Choose your Fan Favorite from the pool of five nominees and click "Vote Now!"

To vote on Twitter, tweet the first name of your Fan Favorite contestant along with the hashtag #JeopardyVote.

How many times can I vote?

You can vote once per platform per day. That means you can vote for your Fan Favorite contestant on Jeopardy.com, Facebook AND Twitter daily during the appropriate voting period!

If you happen to tweet in favor of your Fan Favorite contestant more than once per day, only your first tweet using the correct format will be counted as an official vote.

Come back and vote daily to help your Fan Favorite contestant become a contender!

How do I know if my vote was counted?

When you vote on Jeopardy.com and on Facebook, you will receive a “thank you for voting message!” after correctly casting your vote. On Twitter, your vote will be counted if it includes the first name of your Fan Favorite vote along with the hashtag #JeopardyVote during the appropriate voting period.

Votes will be calculated for Online voting (Jeopardy.com and Facebook) by counting one vote per IP address per platform per day and calculated for Twitter voting by counting one vote per username per day using the hashtag #Jeopardyvote and the first name of a nominated Contestant from that decade (if there are multiple votes per day, only the first vote will count).

Any evidence of tampering with the Voting System including but not limited to "vote slamming" could result in disqualification solely at the Producers' discretion. Likewise, Contestants must not authorize, assist, encourage, permit, or facilitate others to tamper with the Voting System.

How do I find out the results?

Results will be announced on-air in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for updates!

I don't see my favorite champion represented! Can I write them in?

No. You must vote for one of the five nominated contestants from each decade. However, to catch up with all our past champions and see what they’re doing now, visit the Tournament of Champions Yearbook.